The Strength To Go On
by Jazzy Pony
Summary: As the rumblings of a new foe threaten Atmos, one Sky Knight and one Dark Knight alike are forced to face their intertwined pasts, and fight the deeper connection between them.


Prologue

As the rumblings of a new foe threaten Atmos, one Sky Knight and one Dark Knight alike are forced to face their intertwined pasts, and fight the deeper connection between them.

AN: The Jazzy is back and anxious to get back to her favorite team, the Storm Hawks! This story is something of a precursor to a much larger story I am plotting and co-authoring with the amazing BKipper, who may also soon rise from the dead and return to .

Anyways, enjoy the epicness that is to ensue! And as always rate, review, and subscribe.

Pairings: AerrowxPiper, possibly JayxFinn, DarkAcexSomeone?

(For those of you who don't know, Jay and her team the Silver Falcons are my personal SH series OCs. Please do not steal them without permission! )

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It still haunted his dreams, that day did.

**(Flash)  
_**

_Sweat trickled down from his hair line, streaking against the light layer of dust and dirt on his face. Grease coated his fingers, and left black lines across his neck when he rubbed it. A long sigh escaped his lips as he set the wrench aside. "Damnit…" Time was running out. A quick glance at the clock hanging above the door alerted him to just how few minutes he had left. Deftly he shoved his hand into the space between the engine's power converter and a thick cord of mixed wires running along the floor. One final jerk was all he needed, and when the pressure sensor box popped free he quickly dug a thin blade from his pocket, punching a small slit in the main tube running from the box before tossing the part aside. Hopefully Viore wouldn't notice._

_From the shoulder bag next to him he tugged out a small, crude silver case with several unprotected wires wires straying from it. With delicacy in mind, he slid it into the now clear crevice, shifting on his knees as he did so. Up to his shoulder his arms submerged, and a grunt escaped him as he positioned the box where the pressure sensor had been. Oh how one wrong move could make things so bad so quickly. Teeth bit down on a quivering lip, and his youthful brow furrowed in concentration._

_The young male was maybe twenty-one with a shock of coal colored hair and sharp, dark crimson eyes under equally black lashes. His face was finely cut, with a sharper than normal chin and thinner than average features. He was lithe where other men were strong, allowing him to slip into small places like he was now. The box shifted, and he cursed, jerking his throbbing forefinger back._

_"What'cha doin' Aster?"_

_The ship had been utterly silent up until that point, and he had not been aware of footsteps or the ramp being lowered, though he probably should have been paying more attention for them. None the less the child's voice made him jump and he whipped around. "Damnit." Crimson orbs lingered on the child boldly planted in the doorway. It was shocking how much the six year old looked like his Sky Knight father. A full head of unruly red-orange hair, windblown no doubt from an unsupervised skimmer ride. He already held himself like a man; a naive, bold, confident man, but a man all the same. His eyes, however, were his mothers: a leafy, summer green alight with a spirit that would not easily be tamed- or broken. Aster shifted his gaze as the child moved into the engine room._

_"Aerrow…"_

_"I know I know, I shouldn't be here without Mom and Dad, but they're talking about boring stuff with Uncle Liam and Auntie Jani." There was no denying the whine in his light voice. Reaching out, he hauled himself up onto one of the larger pipes snaking through the airship's large engine room, and planted himself, legs splayed, over it. He peered down at the top of Aster's head as the older male quickly finished what he was doing._

_"Are you fixin' something Aster?"_

_"Yeah, but don't tell your parents." Aster stood, and waved the boy down. "They'll tell Viore and she'll have my head for messing around in here. C'mon, get down." He reached up, but Aerrow was faster, and slid away from him._

_"Just pretend I'm not here!"_

_"I'm not letting you stow away again," Aster was starting to get annoyed. "Your father nearly had my head last time."_

_"Dad wouldn't harm a fly."_

_Aster hushed, lowering his arms. It was true. Maybe too much so. Terrance was tough in spirit but soft in heart. He never harmed anything he didn't have to, and avoided causing pain in any way he could, even if it meant sparing the enemy. Something Aster didn't agree with. Their senses of justice were much different, but the disconnect that brought seemed to be one sided. Terrance would always laugh Aster off at the idea of being brutal and harsh. Yes, Terrance was the hero through and through. He was good, he was proud, caring, handsome… the list went on._

_Maybe that's why she loved him so much._

_"Aerrow, get your butt out here!"_

_Once again Aster was taken off guard by the voice that echoed through the ships hall, but turned calmly this time as Anya stepped into the engine room. She had her hands on her hips, giving the beautiful woman a quite motherly look. Her own green eyes turned skyward and quickly landed on her son, who was trying and failing to hide amongst the ducts. "You're not helping my son in his endeavors, are you Aster?" She flashed the younger man a sly grin._

_"Not in the slightest." He shifted a bit awkwardly where he was, rubbing a hand along his opposite arm, averting his eyes to anywhere but Anya's face. Red tipped his ears as the frown on his face deepened, and he quickly nudged the sabotaged pressure sensor into a nearby shadow with his heel. "I was trying to-"_

_"But Mooooommmmmm, I don't wanna stay with Auntie and Uncle again!" Aerrow perched himself high above them, dangling his feet over the edge. "You can't make me come down!" He grinned, the grin of his father._

_Anya let out a long sigh, and flicked her eyes up for a moment before turning to the hallway. "Oh Terrance dear, please come get your precious boy down. We need to leave soon."_

_"Don't call Dad!"_

_"Well you don't listen to me, now do you?"_

_"Aerrow, listen to your mother!" Terrance's deeper voice echoed from the hall. Aerrow pouted but slowly started his descent down. His mother met him at the bottom with crossed arms and an attempt to hide her smile. She put a hand on her son's head, and knelt down to speak to him. It was then that Aster made his escape, slipping into the hallway. A quick glance behind him confirmed that Aerrow was refusing to say goodbye, and he hurried his steps, nearly slamming into a larger form in the dimmer light of the hall._

_"Whoa, easy Aster." Terrance's broad hand settled on the younger man's shoulder, and stepped around him. "Whats your hurry?"_

_"Just have to get things ready for the mission," Aster muttered, averting his eyes once again. Terrance picked up on it, sun gold eyes flashing with confusion. But he didn't question Aster's strange behavior, and pushed a hand through his crimson hair before moving into the engine room to retrieve his son._

_(-)_

_The low rumbles of the engine echoed through the ship, like a distant snoring beast. Steady vibrations ran through the walls, giving the large, finely crafted metal sky ship a hint of life. It was a powerful thing, modified for even the harshest weather thanks to Viore's expertise. Aster's fingers trailed along the smooth metal wall, interrupted only by a line of screws connecting one plate to the next. He paused, taking a long look down the hallway of the place he called home._

_It would be a shame to see it go._

_A quick glance at the clock ticking quietly above the door made him move again, and he hurried his way onto the bridge. The door swished open for him, and he stepped cautiously into the large control room. Markus was at the helm, lazily watching clouds roll by, hardly paying attention to the sensors and dials in front of him. Viore was visible only from the waist down, her slender legs propped up on the floor, head and shoulders stuck up under the communications center that had been plaguing them with interference for the past week. Anya was in her usual spot, at the table closest to him, charting out their course. She glanced up when he pulled up short. "Hey Aster." His quick nod and brush off of her greeting made her straighten. "Looking for something?"_

_"Where's Terrance?" He was trying hard to keep his voice calm, the annoyed and nervous tremor barely being swallowed in time._

_"Try the hanger." Markus finally turned his dark eyes away from the sky, just in time to watch Aster dart out, the door slamming behind him. "What's his problem?"_

_"Kid doesn't know how to relax," Viore slid out and stood, rubbing grease onto a dirty rag._

_Sure enough Terrance was in the hanger 'screwing around with his toys' as Anya would so lovingly put it. Aster didn't miss a beat and nearly fell down the stairs in his rush. "Terrance," he paused to catch his breath, moving towards the older male, who looked up in response._

_"What's up Aster?"_

_"Anya wants you on the bridge."_

_Terrance rubbed an arm over his sweaty forehead. "Ok, I'll be there in a few minutes. I'm almost done."_

_"Now!" The force of the word made them both pause in surprise, but as Aster slid a look to the clock on the far wall, he didn't take it back. Time was crucial. "She said it was important," he did rein his urgency in some._

_"She can wait two more minutes." Terrance shrugged him off. That was his hotheaded male pride showing. The same his son had, always making people bend to his preference. Making them wait. This wasn't going to fly. Taking two quick stepped forward, Aster jerked the man up by the back of his shirt, and gave him a hefty push towards the door._

_"Just go Terrance."_

_"Damnit man, what is wrong with you?!"_

_"You have to go now!"_

_"You don't issue the commands here Aster."_

_"If you love her, you'll go now!" Something like tears pricked at Aster's eyes, and he whipped around, stalking towards his skimmer, parked a little distance from the others. He could hear Terrance shifting, trying to decide what he meant. _'Don't make me kill you myself.' _Aster grabbed the long, broad sword off the work bench and shrugged it over his shoulder, letting it lay across his back. He expected Terrance to pick up on something, and when the sky knight lunged, he was ready…_

_(-)_

_He glanced back only once at the falling air craft, smoke billowing from the engine in its center. It was like it was falling through sludge, slowly being absorbed into the clouds that consumed it. Cool air pushed at his sweaty hair, making it rustle against his dark brows. His sword laid a heavy burden across his back, crimson blood slowly dripping from its tip onto the seat of his skimmer._

**(Flash)**

To this day Terrance's dying eyes still haunted his mind.

The same kind of eyes a particular red head Sky Knight had. A Sky Knight he engaged all too often.

A hand gripped his arm, jerking him from his thoughts. He pulled back from the bridge's window and turned. Master Cyclonis lifted an eyebrow at the sour look on his face, but didn't pry. "We'll be there in ten minutes."

He bowed at the waist, crossing an arm over his chest in respect. "I shall prepare Master."

Her fingers brushed his cheek. "Do not fail me this time… Dark Ace."

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AN: Review and subscribe! It is much appreciated!


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